Codeless device pairing between mobile device and particular one of a plurality of media devices

Abstract

A media server receives a request from an unpaired mobile device, queries a login database to determine whether the mobile device is logged in for high speed Internet access, and, when yes, identifies a particular guest area of the hospitality establishment according to details in its login record. One of the media devices accessible from within the particular guest area is selected and paired with the mobile device without requiring a user of the mobile device to input into the mobile device a connect code of the selected media device. In another example, a user initiates a codeless pairing mode on a particular one of the media devices and begins interacting with the media server utilizing an unpaired mobile device. Since, only one media device can be in that mode at a time, the media server pairs the newly detected unpaired mobile device with the particular media device.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A media system comprising:
 a plurality of media devices coupled to a computer network, each of the media devices having a first processor and first memory, and including a user interface allowing initiation of a codeless pairing mode; and 
 a media server coupled to the media devices via the computer network, the media server having a second processor and second memory, and including a storage device storing stored data; 
 wherein a particular one of the media devices transmits a message to the media server via the computer network in response to a user initiating the codeless pairing mode on the particular media device; 
 the media server accesses the stored data in the storage device to determine whether any other of the media devices is currently in the codeless pairing mode, and sends back to the particular media device a pairing-mode-on message when no other of the media devices is currently in the codeless pairing mode, wherein the media server updates the stored data to ensure that only one of the media devices is in the codeless pairing mode at any given time; 
 the particular media device instructs the user to activate a network-based media function on a mobile device in response to the particular media device receiving the pairing-mode-on message from the media server, wherein the network-based media function causes the mobile device to interact with the media server via the computer network; 
 the media server detects the mobile device interacting with the media server while the particular media device is in the codeless pairing mode and accesses the stored data to determine that the mobile device is not already paired with any of the media devices, and then updates the stored data to store an indication that the mobile device is now paired with the particular media device and to indicate that the particular media device is no longer in the codeless pairing mode; and 
 after the mobile device is paired with the particular media device, the media server causes the particular media device to play media content controlled according to the mobile device interacting with the media server via the computer network; 
 wherein the mobile device is paired with the particular media device during the codeless pairing mode without requiring the user to enter any connect code into the mobile device or to accept any connect code automatically populated by default on the mobile device based on a previously performed login process. 
 
     
     
       2. The media system of  claim 1 , wherein the media server further:
 transmits at least one detail of the mobile device to the particular media device in response to detecting the mobile device interacting with the media server while the particular media device is in the codeless pairing mode; and 
 updates the stored data to store the indication that the mobile device is now paired with the particular media device in response to receiving a message accepting the mobile device for pairing from the particular media device. 
 
     
     
       3. The media system of  claim 1 , wherein the media server further:
 transmits at least one detail of each of a plurality of unpaired mobile devices to the particular media device in response to detecting the unpaired mobile devices interacting with the media server while the particular media device is in the codeless pairing mode; and 
 
       updates the stored data to store the indication that the mobile device being a particular one of the unpaired mobile devices is now paired with the particular media device in response to receiving a message accepting the particular one of the mobile devices for pairing from the particular media device. 
     
     
       4. The media system of  claim 1 , wherein, while interacting with the media server, the mobile device shares media content with the media server according to a network-based media sharing protocol. 
     
     
       5. The media system of  claim 4 , wherein:
 the particular media device supports the network-based media sharing protocol; and 
 after the mobile device is paired with the particular media device, the media server acts as a proxy between the mobile device and the particular media device in order to cause the particular media device to play the media content shared by the mobile device according to the network-based media sharing protocol. 
 
     
     
       6. The media system of  claim 1 , wherein, while the mobile device is paired with the particular media device, the media server:
 receives a uniform resource locator (URL) identifying a media asset for playback from the mobile device; and 
 passes the URL to the particular media device to cause the particular media device to retrieve and play the media asset identified by the URL. 
 
     
     
       7. The media system of  claim 1 , wherein the media devices are located in rooms of a hospitality establishment. 
     
     
       8. A method of pairing a mobile device with one of a plurality of media devices coupled to a computer network, each of the media devices including a user interface allowing initiation of a codeless pairing mode, the method comprising:
 receiving a message via the computer network from a particular one of the media devices in response to a user initiating the codeless pairing mode on the particular media device; 
 determining whether any other of the media devices is currently in the codeless pairing mode; 
 sending back to the particular media device a pairing-mode-on message when no other of the media devices is currently in the codeless pairing mode; wherein, in response to the particular media device receiving the pairing-mode-on message, the particular media device instructs a user to activate a network-based media function on the mobile device, and the network-based media function causes the mobile device to interact with a media server via the computer network; 
 ensuring that only one of the media devices is in the codeless pairing mode at any given time; 
 detecting the mobile device interacting with the media server while the particular media device is in the codeless pairing mode and determining that the mobile device is not already paired with any of the media devices, and then storing in a storage device of the media server an indication that the mobile device is now paired with the particular media device and that the codeless pairing mode is now finished on the particular media device; and 
 causing the particular media device to play media content controlled according to the mobile device interacting with the media server via the computer network after the mobile device is paired with the particular media device; 
 wherein the mobile device is paired with the particular media device during the codeless pairing mode without requiring the user to enter any connect code into the mobile device or to accept any connect code automatically populated by default on the mobile device based on a previously performed login process. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 transmitting at least one detail of the mobile device to the particular media device in response to detecting the mobile device interacting with the media server while the particular media device is in the codeless pairing mode; and 
 storing the indication that the mobile device is now paired with the particular media device in response to receiving a message accepting the mobile device for pairing from the particular media device. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 transmitting at least one detail of each of a plurality of unpaired mobile devices to the particular media device in response to detecting the unpaired mobile devices interacting with the media server while the particular media device is in the codeless pairing mode; and 
 storing the indication that the mobile device being a particular one of the unpaired mobile devices is now paired with the particular media device in response to receiving a message accepting the particular one of the mobile devices for pairing from the particular media device. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 8 , wherein, while interacting with the media server, the mobile device shares media content with the media server according to a network-based media sharing protocol. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the particular media device supports the network-based media sharing protocol; and 
 the method further comprises acting as a proxy between the mobile device and the particular media device after the mobile device is paired with the particular media device in order to cause the particular media device to play the media content shared by the mobile device according to the network-based media sharing protocol. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 receiving a uniform resource locator (URL) identifying a media asset for playback from the mobile device after the mobile device is paired with the particular media device mobile device; and 
 passing the URL to the particular media device to thereby cause the particular media device to retrieve and play the media asset identified by the URL. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the media devices are located in rooms of a hospitality establishment. 
     
     
       15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform the method of  claim 8 . 
     
     
       16. An apparatus for pairing a mobile device with one of a plurality of media devices coupled to a computer network, each of the media devices having one or more internal processors and internal memory, and each of the media devices including a user interface allowing initiation of a codeless pairing mode, the apparatus comprising:
 a network interface coupled to the computer network; 
 a storage device storing a plurality of instructions and stored data; and 
 one or more processors coupled the storage device and the network interface; 
 wherein, by the one or more processors executing the instructions loaded from the storage device, the one or more processors are configured to: 
 receive a message via the computer network from a particular one of the media devices in response to a user initiating the codeless pairing mode on the particular media device; 
 access the stored data to determine whether any other of the media devices is currently in the codeless pairing mode; 
 send back to the particular media device a pairing-mode-on message when no other of the media devices is currently in the codeless pairing mode; wherein, in response to the particular media device receiving the pairing-mode-on message, the particular media device instructs a user to activate a network-based media function on the mobile device, and the network-based media function causes the mobile device to interact with a media server via the computer network; 
 update the stored data to ensure that only one of the media devices is in the codeless pairing mode at any given time; 
 detect the mobile device interacting with the media server while the particular media device is in the codeless pairing mode, determine that the mobile device is not already paired with any of the media devices by accessing the stored data, and then update the stored data with an indication that the mobile device is now paired with the particular media device and that the codeless pairing mode is now finished on the particular media device; and 
 cause the particular media device to play media content controlled according to the mobile device interacting with the media server via the computer network after the mobile device is paired with the particular media device; 
 wherein the mobile device is paired with the particular media device during the codeless pairing mode without requiring the user to enter any connect code into the mobile device or to accept any connect code automatically populated by default on the mobile device based on a previously performed login process. 
 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the instructions further configure the one or more processors to:
 transmit at least one detail of the mobile device to the particular media device in response to detecting the mobile device interacting with the media server while the particular media device is in the codeless pairing mode; and 
 update the stored data with the indication that the mobile device is now paired with the particular media device in response to receiving a message accepting the mobile device for pairing from the particular media device. 
 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the instructions further configure the one or more processors to:
 transmit at least one detail of each of a plurality of unpaired mobile devices to the particular media device in response to detecting the unpaired mobile devices interacting with the media server while the particular media device is in the codeless pairing mode; and 
 update the stored data with the indication that the mobile device being a particular one of the unpaired mobile devices is now paired with the particular media device in response to receiving a message accepting the particular one of the mobile devices for pairing from the particular media device. 
 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the mobile device shares media with the media server utilizing a network-based media sharing protocol; 
 the particular media device supports the network-based media sharing protocol; and 
 the instructions further configure the one or more processors to act as a proxy between the mobile device and the particular media device after the mobile device is paired with the particular media device in order to cause the particular media device to play the media content shared by the mobile device according to the network-based media sharing protocol. 
 
     
     
       20. The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein, after the mobile device is paired with the particular media device mobile device, the instructions further configure the one or more processors to:
 receive a uniform resource locator (URL) identifying a media asset for playback from the mobile device; and 
 pass the URL to the particular media device to cause the particular media device to retrieve and play the media asset identified by the URL.